Status of City Council Rezone Plans

Background:

Seattle City Council proposed expanding and rezoning Crown Hill Urban Village (CHUV) and other neighborhoods around the City to build affordable housing under the Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) policy in 2016. The CHUV Committee for Smart Growth formed in order to advocate that rezoning our neighborhood creates a positive community – for current and future neighbors. Our recommendations include planning and infrastructure investments for smart growth.

November 2017:

The Office of Planning and Community Development released a “preferred alternative” map for Crown Hill Urban Village in November of 2017. Between then and May of 2018, City Council held open houses and hearings for public input on urban village rezones across the City. A large number of excellent speakers from Crown Hill attended the Districts 5 and 6 hearing in March. You can watch the recorded video here.

Summer 2018:

Urban village rezones city-wide (including Crown Hill’s) have been delayed due to an appeal to the MHA Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) filed by 30 neighborhood groups (using the acronym SCALE.) Hearings for the EIS appeal have been occurring throughout the summer, and a ruling by the hearing examiner is expected in November 2018. Should the hearing examiner dismiss the SCALE appeal, City Council will develop legislation that would rezone CHUV, and debate could begin in early 2019. If the hearing examiner calls for the City to develop a supplemental EIS, potential rezones could be delayed until 2020 or later. More information about the SCALE appeal here.

In the meanwhile, Crown Hill Urban Village Committee for Smart Growth is continuing to work on requests for infrastructure investments and has secured neighborhood planning for our community (coming soon!) Here are links for information on the new 92nd Street Greenway and the Holman Road/13th Ave Crossing.